Illinois ladies facing bc
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I am relieved that I know what is going on - the last week has been horrible. I am ready to fight because I will see my babies grow up. Has anyone heard of or tried different diets, exercises, etc that are helpful while going through this whole process? Is there anything that just really helps with energy at all. I have been exhausted the last 6 weeks, but I really thought it was because I had an appendectomy in early March. Anyway any ideas would be great....thanks to all of you.0
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OMG Leesa!!! What a way to start chemo! I sure hope they can find someway to keep you from having a reaction!! remember my quote " friends are Gods lifesavers"
You have a bunch of lifesavers here too!Hope everyone is enjoying the spring weather. ( that we don't have, will trade 1 big bucket of hail for 1 small bucket of sunshine!LOL)
Anyone hear from Mazy yet?
Have a good evening will check in tomorrow
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Hello...not a good morning. DH and I have been up since 2am....yep....planting continues next door....this time it was a bunch of little trees on the other side but so much yelling (discussing?) that it was impossible to sleep. We finally just SLAMMED our 2 bedroom windows shut at about 3:30 but we were so aggravated by the whole thing (and now...hot) that we never went back to sleep. Normally I like to think I am a nice person but it has been weeks of middle of the night stuff and I am done. If I see anybody today, I guess I am going to say something. Maybe I will be my usual weenie self and talk to the neighbor on the other side and maybe we can go together....I know they have been up quite a bit as well. Sorry to vent....but I am just tired of the whole thing. AND.....while it looked nice a few days ago....it now just looks stupid with all these things just stuck in the ground everywhere. Even DH said this am...."time to move".Blackjack...OMG! Glad your son is OK tho. Must have been a horrible phone call. How's your Mom doing?
Leesa.....OMG! What drug might they use next time? Didn't you have a reaction to Taxol the last go-around? Scary!
Karin...don't be too jealous! I heard the word "snow" maybe for Mon and Tues here, but up near 80 tomorrow. Yuck.
Julie....this is the worst part...waiting for your treatment plan. Then, and I know you won't believe it cuz none of us did...it actually gets easier. If you would like, please come to lunch tomorrow! Maggiano's next door to Woodfield, 11:30. We've all been thru it, gots lots of advice, and we give great hugs. Whatever you might need, just ask.
Zap....I loved that book, but my fav of all times is still "The Grapes of Wrath". If you ever think you have it bad, read that book. Talk about having nothing....
Smerf...looking forward to finally meeting you tomorrow!
Connie...never thought about it but you know.....sticking those silly bangs on a headband and then wearing that...that might work! Really!
OK...time to get moving as I am on baby-sitting duty today. Hope the rain holds off so we can "park" it! Everybody...have a wonderful day!
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Hi everyone!
It looks like rain might be on the way today, but wasn't yesterday beautiful?
Julie, I am so sorry about your results and so glad that you found us. Like Wendy says, this is the toughest time....dealing with the diagnosis, learning about your particular situation and the unknowns that face you, and deciding on your treatment plan. It is all so overwhelming and frightening. I hope you can meet the northern group for lunch tomorrow. They will help you so much and have so much info to offer. If not, keep coming here and we'll help you through this. You can do it. How old are your children? Hugs to you from across the miles!
Wendy, we really need to exchange neighbor stories! Mine are the biggest slobs around. If you ever get to my neck of the woods, you'll take one look and their place and say OMG! The hedge between the houses needs to grow faster! LOL
Leesa...what a rotten start you've gotten this time! Hang in there! They will figure this out and get you on something that your body can tolerate, or figure out a way to help you body tolerate this. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
I'll be back tomorrow and get caught up on the posts. I'm heading for Rock Falls today to take my mother's sister out for lunch and to the riverboat in Clinton, Iowa. She has a husband who's had a stroke and a hip replacement and seldom gets out so we're making a day of it.
Have a great day! If it rains, get those indoor chores finished so that you can enjoy the sunshine this weekend and next week.
Rita
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JULIE - I just now went back through the posts and realized I missed the one you posted about your diagnosis. I am SO sorry...you will be okay. Your diagnosis is similar to mine. Were you graded based on a biopsy or did you have a lumpectomy or?...and have you had a node dissection? Hang in there...
LEESA - You poor thing! I'm so sorry you had a rough session. Darn...I hope the next one is kinder. Thoughts are with you...hang in there!
Jackie - In six years of working in our forest, I have yet to see a tick. I'm sure they're out there, but have been very fortunate...so far. I wear tight fitted clothing and use a repellant.
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Speaking of our forest...we just finished Phase 4 (south end of property) of our Buckthorn removal efforts. It's amazing how much we've accomplished. Yesterday we had a tree company here - 5 guys and a HUGE chipper. They worked for 7 hours dragging and chipping all the Buckthorn dh and I have cut, pulled, yanked and chain-sawed. We have many more phases before we get to the best part...reforestation. In the mean time, we are doing lots of research to determine the best trees for our property/zone, how many we'll need and where each will be planted. It's been rewarding, but exhausting. We call it: Mud, Sweat and Tears! LOL I was outside yesterday, periodically with the tree dudes, and 3 cars stopped and congratulated and thanked me for our efforts. And, someone put a note in our mailbox too! Most property owners here in Lake County realize the adverse effects Buckthorn has in wooded areas. It was nice to know those around us have noticed and appreciate our hard work and understand the costs involved with this. Had we not undertaken this, we would have surely lost most if not all of our 100 yr old Oaks and many of the Hickories as well. Over the past few years, we've seen native plant species spring up, which is even more indication that we're doing the right thing. Although we've lost our "buffer" along the road, and I feel "naked" when I walk through it now, I take solice knowing it's all worth it.
Have a great day...
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Wow, Wendy! I guess you get the worst neighbor prize. I wonder why they do their thing so late at night. It's very curious to say the least. I would definitely say something to them if it was me. I know our village wouldn't allow it. You can work and make noise from 7AM until 7PM, then you have to give your neighbors some peace.
Julie...Wendy is so right about this being the most difficult time. Come to lunch if you can, and she is also correct about our hugs.
Leesa...I'm so sorry you had such a tough time of it. You must be exhausted from it. I hope you are up to coming to lunch tomorrow, and take Michele up on her offer to drive. Maybe abraxane would be possible for you?
Laura....I didn't realize the scope of your project! You and your hubby are really ambitious, and I know how harmful buckthorns can be. You are doing a great thing! Love the name too, blood sweat, and tears. Perfect!
Karin...I hope your weather improves soon. I thought I was seeing things when I read snow in your post recently. Even we are finished with that!
Rita...Hope you have a great day! We shall miss you at lunch tomorrow.
Kater....How are you doing?
Nancy...I wish I could have sent you some leftovers through then wires here. I had so much food, but that's the tradition. Before I married I had never served so many courses at a meal! It's fun and family though, and I was grateful that I felt well enough to do it. It was very few people this year, but you still need each course, so the work is the same. Hoping you have good news soon, and thinking of you often.
Susan...Freerice rocks! Thank you for telling us about it.
Mich101....I didn't have a recon, but I did have a "lift" on my opposite side. I call it a reduction, but ps says lift. It was done last Sept, and at first it looked very different than my other side, but over time it is improving. It will never match because one breast has a chunk missing, but at least they are the same size. I was also told to use massage, and at first I didn't, but finally started and did notice improvement from it.
I have to go get stuff done, so please everyone...have a great day!
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Hi all:
Julie, you already sound so much stronger and surer of yourself. It looks like you caught this way early.
Wendy, I am with Laura on that noise business. Our village also restricts any yard work to 7-7. That doesn't help much when the landscapers come on Sunday morning to work on our neighbors' yards. The moxie of people stuns me. I just cannot imagine having work done in the mddle of the night.
We have a very messy neighbor too. His house is so embarrassing. It is really nearly falling down (we wish it would literally). Yet, I like the man so much that I can't stay mad at him.
Jackie, my students need to write a poem connected to the theme of hope for graduation. If you see any quotes on hope, send them my way. All the ones I am reading are downers.
So have fun at lunch! I am gearing up for getting my flowers in their pots this weekend. I wish I had the land to get them into the land...but pots it is! Susan
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Afternoon ladies,
I'm at work....and missed a lot by not getting on this morning. I did so much yesterday that I slept in a bit.
Also--Baby Boss went to vet's to be neutered today so that has us in a little of an uproar....just hated to do it to him though it's the right thing.
Julie....any diet you can tolerate is the right one. Much depends on what chemo you have. I doubt whether radiation makes much of an impact of eating but I am still having chemo so am not sure.
Wendy....I would be rather furious myself. There is no excuse for planting in the middle of the night while the rest of the neighborhood tries to sleep. In fact, I'm mystified completely. Was the yard so bad off that you would risk alienating your neighbors???? I would check your local ordinances and then see they are enforced.....that is what you pay taxes for and in this case ( if it proves out that it's a no-no ) I would get my money's worth.
Susan---I'll look around and see what I can find.
Hope you all have a stunning day--I know you'll be tired, Wendy and I'll be back much later.
Jackie
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Hi...just popped in to say that Leesa called and said she could not get on bc.org.She is feeling GREAT!!! Got a good night's sleep and spent 3 hours cleaning her grill. She's on her way to her onc's office for a shot and she will tell him about the 10lb gain in 2 days...drat that Taxotere/steroid combo! She's coming tomorrow.....
I am watching 2 girls pull out all the little bushes this guy and another girl planted all last night....why do I think there is going to be a screaming match tonight???? Well..it's supposed to rain so maybe they will be inside for a change. My other neighbor and I have decided that we aren't going tolerate it any more....next time, we are going to call each other and put on a united front and march over there in our jammies. And no, I have no idea why you plant at night...it's dark! And the yard was very nice...a little plain...but nice. We do have the same 7-7 rule here but calling the police over bush planting seems strange, not that South Elgin police have anything else to do....very quiet little burb!
OK...enuf of that....going to the park with grandniece before the rain comes and it's coming for sure!
I don't think I've ever seen a buckthorn, and why are they bad?
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Leesa - Glad you're feeling better. You go girl!
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YIPPEE! HOORAY!
My plans have changed...I can meet you for lunch tomorrow!
I am so happy! I will see you at 11:30! YAY!...
Wendrew...Thanks for the update...hang in there with your neighbors...are you sure they aren't druggies! lol
zap - I am sending you an e-mail.
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Wow !!!! Vet's office was open til' 6 p.m. on Thursdays and I thought how fortunate for me....I get to run out and feed the ferals and then go pick up Baby Boss after work.....cept' when I got there at 17 minutes till 6.....the place was locked up tighter than a drum and the sign in the window said closed. I was starting to get a bit frantic. My little Boss was inside and I had no way to get him. I was looking around.....for a business or something that might be open so I could call the emergency number on the window sign....when a car came pulling up in the drive.
Turned out to be the Dr. He said that the girls were out at the Fairgrounds where the Dr. and they were to put on a horse presentation??? of some kind. He came back to the office to change his shirt.
Very fortunate for me and Boss. He mentioned saying something to the girls but I wonder if he really will. Well, alls well that ends well and this ended ok.
Laura....I don't know what buckthorns are either. Sounds like some of those things we import to help control something else and then they take over to the point of destruction.
We are always fighting those stinky bugs that look like ladybugs from China....don't know what they were to eradicate.....but they are rampant and love to live in your house and come out on warm days.
Anyway....see ya'll later.
Jackie
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Glad you are feeling better, Leesa.
Wendy - this is like a soap opera. I can't wait to find out what happens tomorrow. I surely hope you aren't kept awake all night, but I would imagine that the guy/gal would not be too happy that someone pulled out the bushes they spent all night planting! Have you noticed a coffin through the window - maybe they only come out at night!?
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Susan....quotes on hope:
From the Bible: "With hope, all things are possible."
FROM THE BOOK There's No Place Like Hope by Vickie Girard:
1. Hope makes you reach when your arm is too short. Hope gives you that extra, added stretch to reach it after all.
2. Hope costs nothing to give and is pricelss to have.
3. Hope is exercise for the spirit; it swings open the door to possibilties.
4. With hope, the imagination soars.
Rita
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Looking forward to seeing the "lunch bunch" today! I probably won't get there until at least 12:15. I work until 11 am, then have to come home and let out the dog, get changed, etc, before driving to Schaumburg.
Waves and hugs to everyone!! Ack! I'm late.
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Susan, here are some quotes for you.
Hope is not the conviction that things will turn out well,but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out. Vavlev Havel
There is no better bondage than to be a prisoner of hope. Roy Z. Kemp
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Morning!!!! Wendy a happy lady! Rain kept everything soooo quiet around here last night. And yes Connie....I already had that "coffin" thought, probably due to me reading too much Stephen King! My husband thinks it's a meth lab. Great. And of course I am assuming he is just pulling my leg with that one. But then again...maybe I should take a closer look at those bushes LOLLaura...glad you can make it today!
Julie...sorry you can't make lunch, but insurance (notice I didn't mention work!) takes precedence over Maggiano's. We too have a couple of young girls (Mich101, Connie, Sabrina) who have smaller children at home. I'm sure they can help you more with those concerns that you might have. You are always welcome!
Oh good...I see Jan can't get there until 12:15...gives us lots of time to talk about her! (And to talk about how darn cute she is with that sexy haircut and cool glasses)
Well...time to change the sheets, and get my butt off to exercise. See you guys at lunch....everybody who can't make it, have a great day. It will be warm, but drippy.
Hugs and smiles!!!!
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Good morning gals!
I hope the lunch bunch has a great lunch. I will be thinking about you! (and wishing I was there with you) It looks like the sun is starting to peek through the clouds here. Hope it is a bright day for all of you. Maybe we need a secretary to take notes and post them for those of us who can't make it! LOL
I hope all the rest of you have a good day, too. Especially thinking of you today, Ginny as you have your biopsy. Hugs to you. Please let me know the results when you get them tomorrow.
I'm off to accomplish something of importance around here this morning.
EVERYONE.....have a great day.
Rita
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Wendy - Bummer...thought for sure you'd have a great late night story! Hope they're at it tonight! LOL
Jackie - That is so scary! OMG I would have panicked...big time. I probably would have busted the door down. Is the Boss better? Did you see the link I posted for you...the one for the dog stairs/2 for $19?
Buckthorn - (latin name is Rhamnus Cathartica) is a bush/tree that was brought to Lake County by a European Dr. back in the 1800's. He brought some here to plant on his property as a barrier to the road. It's fast growing and it multiplies quickly. Unfortunately, it spread throughout Lake County and now even into other counties. It takes over everything near it. And since it becomes so dense, it shades all of the good species and prevents them from getting the sun they need to live and flourish. That damn DR.! LOL We had many Buckthorn trees that were 12/18 feet tall. And tens of thousands that were 5 feet tall (oh our aching elbows...pull, pull, pull). I'll post some before and after photos.
And there you go...Buckthorn 101! LOL
Have a great day girlz!
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Ginny - Julie -
Positive thoughts are with you two! Hang in there...
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Ginny and Julie, sending positive thoughts and hugs your way. Hang in there, and post when you can.
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Laura Thanks for the buckthorn primer. Our tree man has pointed out some in our backyard, and we are in Cook county. We have one acre, so much smaller than yours, but it is still a struggle for native species.
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Afternoon,
I'm at work again. So much to do in the a.m. when I have to go to work.
Laura ---- the thought did cross my mind that I might have to break a window....I really was getting frantic...already feeling bad that he had to go w/o eating for a long while and then be cooped up in a dog crate/pen---then put to sleep and denuded of some parts.....then groggy and no food....then me not come. Of course like most anyone who loves animals---I assign alll my own emotions and feelings to the animals when I'm fairly certain they have an acceptance and pragmatism about life that we just can't get into.
In fact, strange as it may sound....I often think how much easier if we could go with the flow as easy as our animals do. Well, we need the change that comes from wanting to make things better.
I'm glad to hear about the Buckthorn too.....and it was an import. Sounds like it was much better suited to Europe than here. I would enjoy seeing some pics.
I'm disappointed as well that we did not get a Thursday night installment of Wendy's Crazy Neighbors --- or is that "Shrubs Grow In Elgin". Sort of like "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". A note for everyone.....it's not due to rain I think on Saurday.....Sunday morning we might get to catch up.
See ya'll later on tonight.
Jackie
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OMG - It is always so uplifting when I see the Illinois Girls. I always walk away with an incredible sense of peace and comfort. As for Leesa...well, all I can say is...she's quite the trooper. Round two for her and she continues to smile. And she continues to look FAB!
Maggiano's treated us, ONCE AGAIN, like frickin' QUEENS! Honestly...they bend over backward for us. They know "our story" and they are so incredibly thoughtful. One of the waiters...his 25 yr old girlfriend was recently dx'd...we gave him all the info on how to join us here...so hopefully she will. I just know we will help her through this chapter.
I can't wait for ALL of us to get together! Those of you I haven't met...well let's just say...I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET YOU!
Rita, our founder & leader - Thanks so much for getting us all together here...I just cannot say how much I appreciate each and every one of you!
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Oh My:
You all look so wonderful. Laura, is that a picture of a pope behind you? Leesa and Jan Clare, it looks like you have some huge team behind you, just ready to keep fighting for you. Wendy, Pat and Blackjack.....I wish I could have been with you! Leesa, you have the best teeth and great hair!
Also, thanks to all the wonderful ladies who are sending me quotes on hope to inspire my students as they prepare for their graduation essay/poem on the theme of Hope. I never expected this sort of response. I am getting your quotes on my Yahoo, as well as the blog. I guess I should have known that Illinois Ladies know a thing or two about Hope. I will send you the two winning student pieces when they are determined. The students take this very seriously as, if they are chosen, they are one of only two students to represent their classmates in an oral reading. As I mentioned to Laura, who submitted her own quote on hope, she is right up there on the board with Anne Frank, Christopher Reeves, and Emily Dickinson.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We are celebrating my son-in-law's 30th birthday and this is themed too. We are doing a brunch with a soul food theme. I am bringing Aunt Sally's Alabami zucchini pie!
Susan
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It looks like you had a wonderful time and what a great day to go. I can't believe this weather. Have a great weekend everyone.
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You girls look wonderful! One of these meetings I will finally make!!!!!
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Whee!! What a great time. The Illinois gals always make me feel so good!
Couple of pictures:
Laura, Wendy, Michele (Blackjack), Leesa, JanClare, Pat (Smerf)
Laura and her elephant "Bling" LOL! Ask her about it sometime!
The lunch was wonderful and we talked and gabbed as usual. Leesa looks radiant- How does she look so good on chemo?? (Funny aside- we were commenting about how everyone always told us we were "glowing" after radiation & treatment, etc. Wendy quips, "Yeah, 'glowing' from all that radiation"- and Pat shoots back with "Yes, we just don't show anyone the second head we all have growing under our arm!" Cracked us all up!
And while there was no "feeling up" of the boob@ge, there was some talk about various sexual positions......
The restaurant treated us like queens- including giving us free desserts. Oh, yum!! Now aren't some of you sorry you didn't attend!?? LOL.
On a more serious note, we found out that a girlfriend of one of the waiters at Maggiano's has breast cancer. Only about 25 years old! Laura wrote out all the information to lead her here. Hopefully she will find her way here. So be on the lookout for Nicole, everyone!
Off to spend some time with my hubby. Hugs to everyone.
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Hey, the lunch bunch is "lookin' good" as always! So glad you had a great time! I just ran up to log off the computer as we are getting quite a storm here, with lightning, thunder, strong winds, and a tornado warning.
Take care, ladies!
Rita
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Funny...I had all these things I was going to say but first I wanted to add a graphic...and then I was waiting for photobucket to load and I was staring at Leesa's picture and Laura's words..."strength for today, hope for tomorrow".
And I can't think of anything else to say tonight!!! Hugs everybody, and have a wonderful, happy, healthy night.
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Dumb-dumb me! Yes, I really should learn to hit "re-load" on the page before posting! I see Laura has already posted photos. Thank you, sweetie! LOL- I love me in that photo you posted- I almost look like I still have boobs! 0
